The GSMA noted that 5G-Advanced will facilitate entirely new applications in areas such as smart transportation, smart cities and entertainment
The launch of future 5G-Advanced networks will enable telecom operators to monetize their previous investments in the 5G field, Barbara Pareglio, senior technical director, smart mobility lead, at GSMA, told RCR Wireless News.
“Initial work on the inaugural release of 5G-Advanced started in 2022, with the target for commercialization from the second half of 2024 onwards. In the way 4G enabled the growth of social networks, app stores and the collaborative economy, 5G-Advanced will enable the creation of new monetization business models that do not currently exist,” the executive said.
She went on to say that while the exact models and features that will make it to market remain to be seen, industry collaboration, such as GSMA Open Gateway, will unlock opportunities in the 5G enterprise market, adding that mobile operators and hyperscalers will work together to help create new business opportunities in partnership with third-party application developers and vendors.
“As well as providing all kinds of smart connectivity, 5G-Advanced will also support highly immersive and interactive applications, which will be widely deployed in the entertainment, training and education sectors. The range of new business opportunities provide mobile operators with a strong opportunity to monetize their previous investments in 5G by striking partnerships and educating enterprises how current challenges can be addressed, as well highlighting the competitive advantages new technologies, enabled by 5G-Advanced, will have over Wi-Fi technology,” Pareglio said.
Pareglio also noted that 5G-Advanced will help to build on the achievements made possible with the roll-out of 5G technology, while also facilitating entirely new applications in areas such as smart transportation, smart cities and entertainment.
“The increased power efficiency enabled by the technology will strengthen support for cost-efficient devices and/or power-sensitive applications, such as industrial wireless sensor networks, smart watches, smart eyewear and other wearables. Elsewhere, interactive applications, such as virtual reality, augmented reality and extended reality, will benefit thanks to its support for high data rates, low latencies and seamless mobility,” she said.
In the transport domain, Pareglio highlighted that 5G-Advanced will help to overcome connectivity issues by ensuring a user’s experience isn’t affected when on a high-speed train or plane. The technology will also provide communications support for uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), satellites and HAPS (high-altitude pseudo-satellites) operating as non-terrestrial networks with full seamless interworking with terrestrial networks. “In turn, UAVs will offer new types of smart transportation solutions, while satellite and HAPS connectivity are a good complement to terrestrial connectivity for the maritime industry, IoT use cases and to fill coverage gaps.”
The GSMA executive also said that both artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) will be instrumental in the evolution of the network and as an enabler of autonomous networks. “5G-Advanced will harness artificial intelligence and machine learning to enable efficient network configuration, operation and optimization in a sustainable way, thereby improving the user experience while minimizing the energy consumption of networks.
Commenting on the impact of future 5G-Advanced in industrial settings, the executive said that given the fact that this technology will serve a wide variety of industries with different ecosystems and enable a plethora of new business models, there is a very good chance 5G-Advanced will indeed boost the penetration of private networks in vertical markets, particularly for industries such as manufacturing, fintech and smart mobility.
RCR Wireless News published an editorial report dubbed “5G-Advanced deep dive: state of standards, products and use cases”, in which key industry leaders and analysts deep dive into 5G-Advanced progress in terms of standardization, as well as the new features and use cases that it will enable. Click here to access the report.
